Some multivitamins claim to be the best for bodybuilders. Well, this Universal Nutrition Animal Pak review proves strength athletes and bodybuilders can benefit from a top-notch multivitamin. Achieving your long-term fitness goals has never been this easy.

About Universal Nutrition Animal Pak

Universal Nutrition Animal Pak is the “foundational supplement” and “cast-iron skillet of your supplement program,” per the manufacturer’s official website. Formula notes:

Six gram of protein per serving. Absurd amount for a multivitamin.

Has eight of the essential amino acids (EAAs). Rare multivitamin which has this many.

Now, make way for Universal Nutrition Animal Pak – the multivitamin for bodybuilders.

Customers have sung this supplement’s praises for years. Well, there’s a good chance we’ll jump on the bandwagon. When we first laid eyes on Universal Nutrition Animal Pak, we thought it’s one of the most unique bodybuilding multivitamins on the market.

The folks at Universal Nutrition correctly point out unchecked nutritional gaps can grow. That can lead to disastrous consequences on your performance at the gym.

They also add bodybuilders and strength athletes “have higher nutritional requirements than regular athletes,” per their official website. When contest time draws near, bodybuilders go on calorie-restricted diets, which increase those nutrition gaps.

The company also emphasizes the detrimental impact of these nutritional gaps on other bodybuilding supplements. For example, the lack of certain enzymes in the body renders these supplements ineffective. Universal Nutrition Animal Pak puts a stop to that.

The manufacturer is confident in Universal Nutrition Animal Pak’s upside. Why do we say this? It dubs this multivitamin “The Cast-Iron Skillet Of Your Supplement Program,” per its official website. It’s a bold claim, but it seems legitimate.

Universal Nutrition has a total of 64 ingredients (a number which gives Optimum Nutrition OPTI-MEN’s 76 ingredients a run for their money). The manufacturer classifies them into five categories. This was an excellent move because the consumer will know what the product can do for him.

However, we were disappointed when we didn’t find any ISO Certification or “All-Natural” label on Universal Nutrition Animal Pak. It could be a sign this product contains synthetic ingredients. Watch out.

Nonetheless, we have a good feeling Universal Nutrition Animal Pak will still exceed our expectations.

Vitamins And Minerals

We didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary when we sized up Universal Nutrition Animal Pak’s vitamin and mineral content.

It has the usual mega doses of B vitamins, which help improve heart health and increase energy levels. Check out how it stacks up against some of the athlete multivitamins we earlier mentioned:

Universal Nutrition Animal Pak

EFX Sports VitaDrive

NOW Men’s Extreme Sports Multi

Vitamin B1

76 mg (5,067 percent DV)

200 mg (13,333 percent DV)

50 mg (3,333 percent DV)

Vitamin B2

76 mg (4,471 percent DV)

200 mg (11,764 percent DV)

50 mg (2,941 percent DV)

Vitamin B3

82 mg (410 percent DV)

200 mg (1,000 percent DV)

50 mg (250 percent DV)

Vitamin B5

76 mg (760 percent DV)

200 mg (2,000 percent DV)

50 mg (500 percent DV)

Vitamin B7

300 mcg (100 percent DV)

200 mcg (67 percent DV)

300 mcg (100 percent DV)

Vitamin B9

400 mcg (100 percent DV)

800 mcg (200 percent DV)

400 mcg (100 percent DV)

Vitamin B12

11 mcg (185 percent DV)

200 mcg (3,334 percent DV)

1,000 mcg (16,667 percent DV)

We have several takeaways here. First, EFX Sports VitaDrive is still the King of B Vitamins among the multivitamins we’ve reviewed. It clearly dominates in five of the seven B vitamin categories.

This one’s a no-brainer. If you want a multivitamin with superior B vitamin content, EFX Sports VitaDrive is your best bet.

It’s also clear Universal Nutrition Animal Pak has superior vitamin B7 content (100 percent of the daily value). You can see its overall B vitamin content isn’t too shabby. So, if you want a multivitamin which has great (not over-the-top) B vitamin content, this is a good choice.

Universal Nutrition Animal Pak doesn’t have supplemental iron. The good news: its Uni-Liver component makes up for that. More on this later.

On the other hand, this product has solid amounts of vitamin C (1,667 percent DV), vitamin E (1,000 percent DV), and vitamin A (198 percent DV). These antioxidants should help bodybuilders keep cellular damage at bay.

This supplement also has impressive calcium (200 percent DV) and vitamin D (170 percent DV) content. These will help shore up your teeth, muscles, bones, and nerves.

It would have been better if Universal Nutrition Animal Pak had vitamin K. Nevertheless, its vitamin and mineral profile blew us away. It will surely help any hard-training bodybuilder conquer his fitness goals.

Amino Acid Complex

If there’s one thing which sets Universal Nutrition Animal Pak from the rest of the field, it’s its Amino Acid Complex. We bet you won’t find any other multivitamin with 19 amino acids. That many is sure to make any bodybuilder’s eyes bulge out.

Just so you know, the aforementioned Optimum Nutrition OPTI-MEN (one of the most popular men’s multivitamins today) has just eight amino acids.

If amino acid content is your sole basis for choosing a multivitamin, Universal Nutrition Animal Pak is the runaway winner.

Get this: Universal Nutrition Animal Pak contains eight of the nine essential amino acids (EAAs). Remember, your body doesn’t synthesize these. You can only obtain them from whole foods or supplements. This multivitamin covers most of the bases.

It gets better: this product contains all three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine. We’re telling you, a multivitamin with 509 milligrams of leucine (the most anabolic amino acid) per serving is impressive.

One key amino acid which caught our attention is glutamine. You can find this in many post-workouts. The fact it’s in Universal Nutrition Animal Pak is unreal. Check out what it can do for bodybuilders:

Preserves muscle mass

Ramps up human growth hormone (HGH) levels

Increases athletic performance

Shortens recovery time

Improves focus and concentration

The folks at Universal Nutrition did a splendid job of formulating the Amino Acid Complex. It’s a solid selling point for bodybuilding enthusiasts. We also say it’s one of Universal Nutrition Animal Pak’s most unique features.

Performance Complex

Universal Nutrition Animal Pak’s Performance Complex has the components which will not only boost your performance at the gym, but your long-term health as well.

Leading the charge are 4.08 grams of Uni-Liver per two-packet serving, which the manufacturer derived from Argentinian cattle.

“One of the most nutritious supplements available to all bodybuilders, Uni-Liver contains important amino acids and key vitamins and minerals, including heme iron, riboflavin, folic acid, and B12,” per Universal Nutrition’s official website.

We’re stoked this supplement has Uni-Liver. Bear in mind Golden Era of Bodybuilding icons took dessicated liver. It ramped up their red blood cell count, whetted their appetites, and helped them meet their iron needs.

Like we said, Universal Nutrition Animal Pak does not have any supplemental iron content. However, its Uni-Liver component supplies bodybuilders with ample amounts of natural iron.

Too much synthetic or supplemental iron has disastrous consequences. According to multivitamin expert Greg Marshall, “The intestines are unable to block excess amounts of iron supplied by supplements, so it is possible to build up toxic amounts of the mineral.”

We’re glad this multivitamin relies on natural iron. This mineral will help supply oxygen to the muscles for increased athletic performance.

We also like the emphasis on eleuthero root (a.k.a. Siberian ginseng, 1,750 milligrams per serving). This herbal ingredient has several key benefits:

Helps increase energy levels

Quells anxiety

Wards off fatigue

Regulates the immune system

Keeps free radicals at bay

Promotes healthy blood pressure levels

We’re certain the Performance Complex’s other components (carnitine, choline, hawthorne, inositol, milk thistle, etc.) will provide you with similar long-term health benefits. Score another point for Universal Nutrition Animal Pak.

Antioxidant Complex

Any time a supplement helps ward off nasty free radicals, it’s a major plus. It’s clear Universal Nutrition Animal Pak can do that, and then some.

The most abundant ingredients under this blend are citrus bioflavonoids, which take up one gram per serving. These help keep inflammation at bay, regulate blood vessel health, and maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

We also like the inclusion of other time-tested health boosters such as alpha lipoic acid (ALA), CoQ10, grape seed extract, lutein, lycopene, and pine bark extract.

Total carbohydrates, 4 g: This multivitamin isn’t a significant source of carbs at less than two percent of the daily value (a value of five percent or less has a low value).

Dietary fiber, 2 g: Universal Nutrition Animal Pak is a rare multivitamin which yields this much dietary fiber. Granted, it’s not sky high by any means, but it’ll help.

Protein, 6 g: Just where can you find a multivitamin which yields six grams of protein per serving? This is as rare as it gets. Twelve percent of the daily value for protein could set a record for this bodybuilding supplement category.

Arginine, 1,213 mg: This amino acid is best known for its ability to improve blood flow. This results in increased vascularity and muscle pumps, improved nutrient uptake, and healthier blood pressure levels. Universal Nutrition Animal Pak ramped up its l-arginine levels for these reasons.

Aspartic acid, 498 mg: Simply known as l-aspartate, this amino acid plays a key role in the Krebs Cycle. Here, the body synthesizes other amino acids such as arginine, lysine, methionine, threonine, and isoleucine.

Cystine, 110 mg: An amino acid which plays a key role in the formation of skin, hair, bones, and connective tissue. Cystine also helps produce the powerful antioxidant glutathione.

Glutamic acid, 653 mg: This is an excitatory neurotransmitter and precursor of glutamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Glutamic acid also helps metabolize sugars and fats.

Threonine (EAA), 283 mg: An essential amino acid which helps maintain the body’s proper protein balance. Threonine is a precursor of glycine and serine, two amino acids which play a key role in producing muscle tissue and collagen.

Uni-Liver, 4,080 mg: Simply known as dessicated liver, this ingredient is a natural source of iron. The said mineral helps transport oxygen to the muscles, which allows one to exercise longer and harder. We’re not surprised why it’s one of Universal Nutrition Animal Pak’s main ingredients.

Pyridoxine α-ketoglutarate, 200 mg: This is a combination of vitamin B6 and its amino acid compound, alpha-ketoglutarate. The latter is a precursor of glutamine, which helps preserve muscle mass and increase HGH levels.

Citrus bioflavonoids (peel), 1,000 mg: These are biologically-active flavonoids which help utilize vitamin C in the body, improve the health of the capillaries, and ward off antioxidants and inflammation.

Lutein, 1 mg: A carotenoid found in many vision supplements which helps protect the eyes from excessive ultraviolet rays. Lutein also helps ward off free radicals and inflammation, keep free radicals at bay, and improve cardiovascular function.

The vitamin and mineral amounts are also at par with other big-name athlete multivitamins on the market. They may not be the highest in the industry, but they will go a long way, for sure.

We identified the key nutrients (iron, antioxidants, calcium, and vitamin D) which every hard-training athlete needs. Universal Nutrition covers all of these.

We like the manufacturer’s inclusion of Uni-Liver, which is a natural source of iron. Remember, bodybuilders from the Golden Era supplemented with desiccated liver. Universal Nutrition Animal Pak has a bit of a Golden Era of Bodybuilding touch to it, which is awesome.

The Amino Acid Complex is about as comprehensive as it gets. It’s the most complete amino acid blend we’ve seen among multivitamins. That’s saying a lot.

On the other hand, the Performance Complex is sure to boost your longevity and long-term health. It has several natural ingredients which have an excellent track record.

You also can’t go wrong with the Antioxidant Complex. A blend featuring the likes of ALA, citrus bioflavonoids, CoQ10, grape seed extract, lutein, lycopene, and pine bark extract bodes well for your long-term health as well.

The Digestive Enzyme Complex ensures improved bioavailability for more efficient results. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Universal Nutrition Animal Pak also enjoys an excellent reputation among customers. They swear by it. We’re confident you will, too.

On the flip side, this multivitamin doesn’t have vitamin K. This component helps promote bone growth, regulate bone mineralization, keep injuries at bay, and shorten recovery time. The good news: the other ingredients more than make up for it.

The manufacturer also did a tremendous job in terms of transparency – it revealed all of the ingredient amounts.

However, the Performance Complex, Amino Acid Complex, Antioxidant Complex, and Digestive Enzyme Complex are proprietary blends in the powdered version. That’s a bit of a head-scratcher, if you ask us.

Not only that, but the powdered version also has fillers (sucralose, FD&C Red No. 40, and FD&C Blue No. 1). Skip this one, if you will. Get the packed version instead.

Despite these shortcomings, Universal Nutrition Animal Pak is still a top-notch multivitamin. If the manufacturer can iron out the kinks in its powdered version, it’ll crush the competition, for sure.

Universal Nutrition Animal Pak Benefits

Universal Nutrition Animal Pak has the following benefits, per its official website:

Supports bodybuilding and competitive strength training

Boasts of two delivery systems

Mixes easily

Tastes great

Features superior absorption and digestion prowess

We agree with all of these claims. Universal Nutrition Animal Pak is a top-notch multivitamin for bodybuilders which should exceed your expectations.

Who Takes It?

The manufacturer intended Universal Nutrition Animal Pak for competitive strength and power athletes, weightlifters, bodybuilders, and powerlifters who are at least 18 years of age. Their goals include smaller nutrition gaps, increased energy levels and protein synthesis, shorter recovery time, and long-term health.

Final Word on Universal Nutrition Animal Pak

If you’re into bodybuilding and keen on a multivitamin which will help you achieve your fitness goals, you should include Universal Nutrition Animal Pak in your shortlist.

The ingredients speak for themselves – they pack a wallop. Not only will you become a better bodybuilder, but you will also improve your long-term health. If a multivitamin has five grams of protein and eight of the nine essential amino acids, that tells you something.

While Universal Nutrition Amino Pak’s powdered version has some flaws, you’re better off getting the packed version. It will give you a faster return on your investment. Buy it, and see the difference it makes.